When I first heard I was to receive a CD from South Africa with an unusual
combination of instruments, I looked forward to an interesting listening
experience -- I didn't quite know what to expect. When it finally arrived,
I was astounded to find that the group, Duo 2000, is comprised of a MIDI
accordion and an acoustic harp playing a mostly classical repertoire.

While I am a lover of and performer on the acoustic accordion, I am also
an avid MIDI accordionist and felt that this would be an interesting
combination of instruments. I should warn you that if you are a "purist"
and think that the accordion should only be played as an acoustic reed
instrument, this CD will not be for you. Even though Sergio Zampolli plays
a beautiful free bass Excelsior accordion, you will not hear any reed
sounds on this recording. Instead, he uses his accordion solely as a MIDI
controller.

After exchanging e-mail with Amarillie Ackermann and reading the liner
notes, it appears that the duo spent quite bit of time trying to locate
any accordion/harp duet music. Not surprisingly, they were unable
to find any and did their own arrangements. And spectacular arrangements
they are! Both artists showed consummate skill as both musicians and
arrangers.

I have played this CD for quite a few musicians, including a member of the
San Francisco Symphony, who were astonished at the quality of sound that
these two players were able to achieve. Listening to this compact disc,
recorded live without any form of sequencing except on one tune, you would
be hard pressed to believe that you weren't listening to a large symphony
orchestra.

While all of these tunes are well-worn, familiar classical pieces, this
fresh approach brings to them new vigor, and, for the most part, is
beautifully rendered.

The "Blue Danube" is a gorgeous piece that illustrates the symphonic
capability of a MIDI instrument in expert hands. The melding of the harp
throughout the CD is absolutely first rate and certainly is just the
correct touch, never under or underpowering the MIDI instruments and
providing just the right touch of "spice." I found I had to constantly
remind myself that I was only listening to two people playing a live
performance. The title piece "Song to the Evening Star" is truly moving
and satisfying, as was the "Sleeping Beauty Waltz."

Most of the selections were quite effective although in a couple of cases
the selection of the MIDI instrument sounds would not have been my first
choice. This was most noticeable in the "Galop" from Masquerade
Suite. The initial instrumentation was a little too electronic in
sound rather than simulating orchestral instruments. This isn't
necessarily bad (after all, one has to remember that all of the
sounds other than the harp were electronic), but I thought that a better
choice could have been made. The other questionable choice was in
"Granada." While this was a gorgeous arrangement with real fire and
excellent musicianship, the guitar simulation sounded more 'steel string'
rather than like a nylon-strung classical guitar. This was not a big
thing, but if the illusion and faithfulness to the original intent is to
be maximized, a better choice could have been made. These are minor
criticisms and are aimed at the electronic sounds selection rather than
any implied deficiencies in musicianship or technique, which are
impressive throughout this CD. A selection which I really enjoyed (and
perhaps my favorite on the CD) was the "Waltz of the Flowers."

Overall this CD rates among one of my favorites to date: a most amazing
performance, beautiful listening and one that I won't soon grow tired of
listening to. For accordion purists, I would recommend they have a listen,
too. In the hands of a musician of this caliber, the MIDI accordion
rightfully takes its place as a very capable incarnation of the many
variations of accordions that have been developed over the years. In fact
the inherent design of the accordion makes it a far superior input MIDI
controller compared to the more common piano keyboard. Who would have
guessed that the decades-old original design of the accordion would be a
perfect design for the age of electronics.

I understand that Duo 2000 are working on a couple more CDs. I would
assume they will be of equal interest and I will be on the lookout for
them when they hit the market.

Editor's Comment:

Although I enjoyed listening to this CD and I was impressed by the
abilities of both Sergio Zampolli and Amarillie Ackermann, I have doubts
about whether MIDI accordion CDs should be reviewed on The Classical
Free-Reed, Inc. website as I don't believe that the MIDI accordion can
actually be considered an accordion at all since -- in its pure form -- it
has no reeds. (In this case, the performer's instrument is a combination
reed-accordion and MIDI controller, but the performer chose not to use the
reeds of the accordion, instead using the instrument only as a MIDI
controller.)

Of course, the MIDI accordion looks like an accordion, it feels pretty
much like an accordion, and it probably even smells like an accordion, but
it doesn't sound like an accordion. Actually, MIDI accordions (and all
other MIDI controllers for that matter) don't produce sounds at all. The
sounds are produced by a loudspeaker and are generated by a digital
sampler or other synthetic sound source. A MIDI controller might have the
shape of an accordion, or a piano, or a guitar or a wind instrument, or
anything else, but it is actually only a MIDI controller and not the
instrument it attempts to imitate.

For example, look at the electronic MIDI keyboard; it might be shaped like
a piano and even be housed in a traditional piano case with three legs and
a lid, but it is not a piano; it is a keyboard.

Another example: What if an organ manufacturer built a pipe organ without
pipes; but instead used accordion reeds to produce the sound? This
instrument cannot be called a pipe organ, even though it might look like
one from the outside, with fake pipes even. It is actually a harmonium.

And yet another example: suppose an accordion was built which had no reeds
inside, but produced sounds by having the keys move plectra which pluck
strings inside the body of the instrument. It is not really an accordion,
but a type of harpsichord or autoharp.

I believe the same analogy holds true with electronic MIDI instruments.
Internally they are all the same: simply MIDI controllers. Externally they
may have different shapes, but their functions are basically the same.

Are you familiar with the character known as "Data" in "Star Trek?"

Is he a human or not?

Although he has the shape of a human, and talks like a human and perhaps
might even smell like one, he is definitely NOT a human, as inside there
are computer chips and mechanical devices.

I believe that the electronic accordion is a member of the electronic
instrument family, which includes theremins, keyboards, wind controllers,
computers, etc.

As for this recording, it is a great achievement for the performers and
I'm sure that it will further their careers. However, if I had a choice to
listen to two CDs with identical programs, one performed by a symphony
orchestra and harp, and another by a MIDI controller and harp, you can
guess which CD I would choose to listen to.

Despite advances in technology, it is not very difficult to hear the
difference between a real orchestra and a MIDI orchestra, as long as the
listener is well versed in the orchestral literature. Granted, some
acoustic instruments are easier to imitate electronically than others --
the percussion instrument samples are more true-to-life than bowed strings
for instance -- but a classical music connoisseur can tell the difference.

In the realm of pop and rock music, where electronically amplified
instruments have been the rule rather than the exception for 40 plus
years, MIDI controllers are a great asset for saving money which would
have been spent in hiring other musicians. But in the realm of classical
music, which is much more sophisticated than rock or pop, I have my doubts
whether a MIDI controller can adequately imitate an acoustic instrument
with all its subtleties in situations when the composer originally called
for acoustic instruments.

I agree with Henry's assessment of the MIDI accordion but he has to
remember that the intent of the two musicians was to try to simulate the
effect of an orchestra with only two musicians which I think they were
quite successful at. While I would prefer the "real" thing I admire what
the duet was able to achieve with just two musicians.

I thought his comment about the pipe organ vs. ones with reeds fell short
of the mark. If he went to the next step he could compare the pipe organ
vs. the electronic organ. While an electronic organ can not reproduce the
sounds of a pipe organ even though it has similarly named stops and looks
like a pipe organ (at least in keyboard and pedals and stops) it is still
a valid instrument that has a unique sound of its own that finds a place
in music i.e. the Hammond B3.

In many ways the similarity between an electronic organ and MIDI is
alike....a real pipe organ is very expensive and requires huge spaces
compared to a electronic organ. The MIDI is much smaller, cheaper and more
portable than a full orchestra.

To me the MIDI accordion is just another version of the accordion which
has proven to be able to be morphed into all sorts of incarnations.